WILD OATS AIMS FOR RECORD
BETTER LATE THAN NEVER ... NOW FOR A BIT OF LUCK
MEMBERS of the Wild Oats X1 brains trust believe a race record is back on the menu in the 73rd Sydney to Hobart and have their sights on retaking it.
As the forecast for the race firms, Wild Oats tactician Iain Murray said there was big potential for Perpetual Loyal’s 2016 mark of one day, 13 hours, 31 minutes and 20 seconds to be bettered this year.
And top yachting forecaster Roger Badham agreed.
“I still think the record is on,’’ said Murray, one of just five men aboard Wild Oats for all her eight line honours wins, two race records and two overall wins. “We should be on record pace to Tasman Island and it is what happens after that that matters the most.”
Key to winning the race — and potentially a race record — is the wind (or lack of it) on the 11-nautical mile Derwent River finish straight.
Traditionally, the breeze dies out from late in the evening to early morning, turning the river into a millpond.
This is why Murray, the boss of the last America’s Cup, said the arrival time of the supermaxis here was crucial.
Skipper Mark Richards also said he believed there was potential to better the record Perpetual Loyal set last year when she slashed five hours off Wild Oats’ 2012 time.
Badham on Monday said record was a distinct possibility thanks to freshening winds on the east coast of Tasmania for the fleet giants.
“It’s fast, the record is on,” he said. “It’s going to be a very interesting race.”
This year sailors from 18 to 82 are contesting the race, along with 27 international yachts.
Contact has been made with Chinese yacht clubs in the hope more teams from Asia will be on the start line in upcoming years. China, Korea and Hong Kong are all represented in this year’s fleet, with other boats from the US, New Zealand, the UK, Germany, France and Italy.
The largest allowed yacht is 100 foot and the smallest, the timber yacht Maluka, is the fleet minnow at 30-foot.
The most capped sailors are Tony Ellis, who is doing his 50th race on Triton, and Bill Ratcliffe racing south for the 48th time on Takani.
CHRISTMAS came early for Hobart’s Peter Harmsen in the form of an 11th-hour call-up to the crew of Sydney-Hobart line honours contender Infotrack.
The in-demand freelance cameraman was parachuted into the crew at the last minute to film the supermaxi’s bid to win line honours for a documentary series to screen next year.
Instead of sitting back and relaxing, Harmsen has taken off for Sydney to be ready for the start of the 73rd Sydney to Hobart yacht race, starting at 1pm today.
Infotrack has a strong chance of delivering the perfect ending to the doco, as the reigning line honours champion and race record holder formerly known as Perpetual Loyal, now owned by Aussie tech billionaire Christian Beck. Harmsen’s sailing strategy is simple. “Do what I’m told, stay out of the way — and cling on with white knuckles,” he said.
“If the boat does it again, it will be no thanks to me.”
Harmsen is no stranger to the SydneyHobart. He has done five, finished three, and won line honours aboard local shipbuilder Robert Clifford’s maxi ketch Tasmania in 1994. Infotrack is an entirely different beast. “It’s an absolute rocket ship,” Harmsen said. “These boats are very hi-tech and the loads on every piece of equipment are immense.”
Harmsen, who will be racing his brother Chris aboard Wild Oats XI to Hobart, has mixed feelings about his easy passage on to the Infotrack crew. “If you are doing a SydneyHobart you really want to spend time on the boat getting to know the crew and the systems and all that sort of thing,” he said. “To get such a late call-up — you feel like a cheat a bit, but I’m happy for the ride.”
Tasmania has two entries in the SydneyHobart: Magic Miles, skippered by Mike Crew, and Oskana, skippered by Michael Pritchard.